The Kansas City Chiefs are going through what would be considered a normal week of practice this week.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid spoke about this after preseason Week 3, explaining that it was part of his plan to help keep guys sharp with a long rest to Week 1. The opening game against the Cardinals on Sept. 11 is still two weeks away, but players are treating this week as if they’d play a game on Sunday.
With a normal week of practice, media members were able to look in at the onset of practice. The Athletic’s Nate Taylor reported that several key Chiefs players were practicing after they’d either suffered an injury or been held out of practice the week prior. That group included WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), CB Rashad Fenton (groin), DE Carlos Dunlap (Achilles) and CB Trent McDuffie (concussion).
JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), Rashad Fenton (groin), Carlos Dunlap (Achilles) & Trent McDuffie (out of the league’s concussion protocol) all returned to the practice field today.
No Frank Clark, Blake Bell, Matt Bushman & Leo Chenal.
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) August 29, 2022
Marquez Valdes-Scantling was also back at practice after revealing to reporters he had cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Taylor noted that DE Frank Clark and LB Leo Chenal were not at practice for undisclosed reasons, in addition to injured TEs Blake Bell (hip surgery) and Matt Bushman (fractured clavicle). Others confirmed those observations as well. 610 Sports Radio’s Pete Sweeney noted that Malik Herring (oblique strain) and Deon Bush (undisclosed) were at practice, but off to the sidelines without their helmets.
The new injuries are certainly something to monitor with 53-man roster cuts coming on Tuesday. It’s something to keep an eye on as we get closer to Week 1 as well. It’s good news that projected starters like Smith-Schuster, Fenton and McDuffie are back at practice. It’s also good to see that Dunlap’s Achilles is feeling better, especially given the team’s history with those types of injuries.
